ColourCode vs Gwakkamole

Colourcode is a fun game about colors, shapes, order and orientation! The object of the game is to re-create the image presented in each challenge. Tap the tiles you need and stack them up, one by one. You can rotate the tiles by clicking on them and changing their order by using the button below the tile holder. You've solved the puzzle when your tiles match the challenge exactly. Can you complete all challenges? About SmartGames SmartGames is the worldwide leader in multi-level logic games. The award winning games have multi-level challenges from the very easy to the very challenging; perfect for players of all ages. Each game has a unique and innovative game mechanic with themes that appeal to both boys and girls. They come in travel, compact and table top editions in plastic or a premium wood range. The SmartGames range starts at pocket money levels to top end quality with the wooden games as year round gifts. And with so many included challenges, each game can be replayed over and over again. In short, SmartGames will make your brain spin! More information: www.smartgames.eu

Gwakkamole is a game designed to train inhibitory control, a subskill of executive functions. Inhibitory control involves being able to control one’s attention, behavior, thoughts, and/or emotions to override a strong internal predisposition or external lure, and instead do what’s more appropriate or needed (Diamond, 2013). Players need to smash avocados that have no hat or that tip their hat but avoid smashing avocados with spiky hats or with electric hats. How does this support learning? Executive functions refer to a set of top-down, goal-oriented cognitive processes that enable people to control, monitor and plan behaviors and emotions. Miyake and Friedman’s model supports a unity-and-diversity view of EF in that it incorporates the three distinct but related components of EF: inhibitory control, task-switching and updating (Miyake et al., 2000). What is the research evidence? Our research suggests that Gwakkamole is an effective way to train inhibitory control. Homer, B.D., Ober, T., Rose, M., MacNamara, A., Mayer, R., & Plass, J.L. (2019). Speed Versus Accuracy: Implications of Adolescents' Neurocognitive Developments in a Digital Game to Train Executive Functions. Mind, Brain, and Education, 13(1), 41–52. DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12189 Research has found that EF is related to performance in literacy and math along with long-term gains in school performance and academic readiness (Blair & Razza, 2007; Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson, & Grimm, 2009; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and that disparities in EF among preschool children from low-income versus high-income homes may contribute to the achievement gap (Blair & Razza, 2007; Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007). This game is part of the Smart Suite, created by New York University’s CREATE lab in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Graduate Center, CUNY. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150417 to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.